While She Knits: Summer days driftin' away, to uh-oh those summer nights

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Dare we think that LJ is working again???

What have you read this summer that you are dying to talk to someone else about?  Good or bad. 

Tell me more, tell me more!  Was it love at first sight?

Comments

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Gee, I would love to go first! A good, and a...not sure yet.

First the good. I picked an advance copy of The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson (who happens to live in Columbus, OH, my hometown). I really liked it. It didn't necessarily surprise me at all, and it was very Tamora Pierce-like (I mean that in a good way), but I thought she did an excellent job with the characters and the world-building. It's the first in a trilogy. When I went to the author's website (http://www.raecarson.com/) to check it out, guess who I saw has written a blurb about the book? Yes, MWT.

"Rae Carson's heroine is a perfect blend of the ordinary and the extraordinary. I loved her."
— Megan Whalen Turner, author of Newbery Honor book, THE THIEF

Anyone who likes Tamora Pierce will like this, too. Looks like it will be published in September.

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

The Not-Sure-Yet. Pegasus by Robin McKinley.

I like many of McKinley's books, especially the retold fairy tales. And if only I had known up front that this book is not a stand-alone, but instead is the first of two books, I would not feel so cheated here. Like many of her books, the story is slow and steady, with much of the action told through reports about what was happening outside the castle, or ancient diary entries. But the descriptions are exquisite and I liked the characters, though I told Jade the ending sort of went like this:

Stuff
Stuff
Angsting for 50 pages
Very Bad Stuff
The end

Has anyone else read it? What did you think?

[gauroth.livejournal.com]

Sherwood Smith, 'Inda' books followed by 'A Stranger to Command.' My, she's good! her worldbuilding is impeccable, and very deep. Also 'Coronets and Steel' which is a modern-day romance/thriller with a wee touch of magic. And if you like that, try 'The Prisoner of Zenda' by Anthony Hope.

I'm now reading the superb 'Chronicles of the Kencyrath' by P C Hodgell. Odd, funny epic fantasy. Nobody I know has read Hodgell, who is brilliant, so if anyone wants to talk about her, please do so on my LJ or Facebook. I am Maggie Brinkley on Fb.

Just as good is Martha Wells. Wonderful prose, fantastic stories, gripping plots.

I'm also re-re-reading Mary Stewart's romantic thrillers, which now seem more like historical thrillers, because they are set in the 50s

Talk to me, guys, I would love to hear your opinions!

[gauroth.livejournal.com]

I really like her earlier books but I think her latest are a bit... mm... 'turgid' isn't quite right. Basically, I can put them down halfway through and not be bothered. Unlike Diana Wynne Jones or Patricia McKillip, who I trust enough to carry me over the very few longeures in their books.

[gauroth.livejournal.com]

I apologise if mentioning my lj or fb is not appropriate in this forum.

[gauroth.livejournal.com]

*longueres*

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

I can put them down halfway through and not be bothered.

See, that's how I felt! If I'd known it was part 1, I might have.

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

No, it's fine!

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

I've been enjoying and have not quite finished yet, a book called The Puppeteer's Apprentice by Anne D. Love. I'm greatly impressed by the writing and word choice. It's simple while still keeping a beautiful cadence. Characters could be a little stronger, but I'm not done yet, so what do I know!

I've also been caught up in some non-fic. The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie by Tanya Lee Stone is awesome. Who knew one could write such a fascinating biography that throughly and objectively explores the sociology and phycology of a child's toy? I was very impressed the massive amounts of material and opinions she managed to document.

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

Make that D. Anne Love, and I can't even use the not wearing my glasses excuse!

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

I've read Hodgell's GOD STALK and DARK OF THE MOON and really enjoyed them -- though I haven't read the later books as they're harder to find and I had a suspicion the narrative was developing in directions I might not enjoy so much. I was totally crazy about those first two books in my late teens, though.

And Mary Stewart's romantic thrillers are THE BOMB. I am so happy to have finally found a modern writer who scratches my Stewart itch -- I had begun to think it wasn't possible, but Susanna Kearsley does it. I've only read THE WINTER SEA and THE ROSE GARDEN of Kearsley's so far, but I highly recommend them to all my fellow Stewart fans.

[elvenjaneite.livejournal.com]

You're kidding! I grew up in Columbus!

[elvenjaneite.livejournal.com]

Well, I read Sarah Rees Brennan's Demon's Surrender twice in one month, but I was super excited about it, and I ended up with a UK and a US edition, so naturally I had to read BOTH.

Other books enjoyed: The Dead Beat by Marilyn Johnson, which is--gasp--non-fiction. Nightspell by Leah Cypress I liked a lot, though I suspect I might have enjoyed it even more if it hadn't been connected to Mistwood.

Lots of other books I didn't enjoy as much, and some old standby re-reads.

[drashizu.livejournal.com]

I discovered the Vlad Taltos books by Steven Brust, which remind me of QT in a number of ways. The series revolves around a human ("Easterner") named Vlad, an assassin/mafioso/sorcerer/witch living in an unusual sort of fantasy realm, with an Awesome of nearly Gen caliber.

My gosh, he has such a great sense of humor! Both the author and the narrator, actually, who was described in one review I read as narrating in "first-person smartass."

But I also love the artistry of the books; later on, especially, Brust does wonderful things with point of view, non-linear timelines, and epistolary or retold-anecdote types of narrative structure. Sort of reminds me of MWT both for the creative approach he takes toward conveying the events of the story to the reader, and for the way he can create such a wonderful and sympathetic character out of somebody with so many faults.

I can't believe I have to wait five days for the next set to arrive in the mail...

I honestly can't remember if this has been rec'd here before, but if it has, and you haven't read the books yet, take this as an extra reminder.

[qwentoozla]

I've been reading the Miles Vorkosigan books, but I know I don't need to recommend them to you guys, because it was you and MWT that got me to read them in the first place! I'm so into these books now! I'm on Mirror Dance right now.

[willow-41z.livejournal.com]

CHECKERS. I already had that song stuck in my head BEFORE I read this post. *angry face*

I haven't been reading much, but I read Vanity Fair, which was good; Sunshine by Robin McKinley, which I couldn't put down; Dragonhaven by same, which mostly same; the first 300 pages of Bleak House, which has very good prose but no real hints of a plot yet (only Dickens could get away with doing that!). I just read The Foundling by Georgette Heyer, and am in the middle of Portrait of a Lady and Nun in the Closet, the latter of which is by Dorothy Gilman.

Foundling was a LOT of fun. Think of the Grandfather's speech in Princess Bride, and you'll about have it. No fencing, giants, or torture, but highwaymen-- FAKE highwaymen-- and foundlings and, uh, badgers. And mayhem. And mischief. Portrait of a Lady is good, but Nun in the Closet is excellent-- Dorothy Gilman excels at writing really absurd situations with a perfectly straight face and making you feel like you're an uptight fuddy-duddy for thinking they're absurd in the first place. NitC is about Sister John and Sister Hyacinthe, who leave their cloister for the first time in about eighteen years to investigate this large old house that has been left to their order unexpectedly. There are nuns who can't drive but are certainly not collecting pot and hippies and mysterious people in the house and large amounts of cash just showing up and crossdressing fake nuns and ridiculously potent alcohol and and and yeah :D

[danjess.livejournal.com]

I recently read "Streams of Babel" by Carol Plum-Ucci and "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak. They're both really heavy, dark books, especially The Book Thief, which has nothing in common with our Thief's story, and is set near Munich during WWII. It deals with the tragedy vs the beauty of humanity and it's probably the most important book I've ever read, but it has so much sweetness and powerful, hopeful sentiments that it doesn't come off as being gruesome. SO MANY FEELINGS about this book!

"Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli and it's sequel, "Love, Stargirl" are pretty light-but-not-too-fluffy books.

[elvenjaneite.livejournal.com]

I just re-read Sunshine! Love that book so much--Rae has to be one of my all-time favorite narrators. And I secretly kind of want to be Aimil (The Death of Marat is my favorite moment in the whole book.)

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

Loved K.L. Going's King of the Screw-ups.

Thought Jellicoe Road was well-written, but couldn't get past the oh-so-depressing lives of every single character in it.

Fell in love with Nabokov all over again with a reread of The Real Life of Sebastian Knight.

Looking for the Next Great Read!

[veriloquently.livejournal.com]

I completely agree with both of you about Mary Stewart's romantic thrillers. Escapism gets no better than those books! And yes, I also recently found Susanna Kearsley and agree that they do have a very similar feel to them--I would recommend "Every Secret Thing," published under her alter-ego of Emma Cole as my favourite so far (it's part of what will become a series, though it stands alone. It has the same sort of harrowing thriller feel Stewart does, although the romantic part is still coming, hopefully in the next book).

I also discovered M.M Kaye's mystery series, which are also in that "romantic thriller" genre that now feels very historical, because they are so firmly rooted in a particular place and time. "Death in Kashmir" has this wonderful elegiac feel to it, even as the suspense is cranked up--Kaye grew up in India and writes about having to leave at the end of the Raj. It's a fascinating portrait of a huge social upheaval that she lived through.

[lizzyazula.livejournal.com]

I agree as well. I knew beforehand it wasn't stand alone, and thank god for that, otherwise I would've felt cheated too. It's not that I didn't like Pegasus, but I keep on expecting to read another Beauty or Blue Sword...and Pegasus was not either of those...It was really good, just a MUST KEEP READING kind of book.

[lizzyazula.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I meant it's NOT a must-keep-reading book.

[lizzyazula.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid the only phenomenal books I've read (in this case, REread) this summer are those Harry Potter ones. Now I'm on a Harry Potter kick. I love Harry so much <3. Other than that I've actually been on a reading slump ever since...ever since I read QT for the first time, so about two years ago. I guess I've come across books that I certainly enjoyed, but I haven't become completely enamored with anything new. Megan and Gen set my standards to impossible heights.

[thesehnsucht.livejournal.com]

I reread The Winter Prince by Elizabeth E. Wein and I can't believe how much of this stuff just flew over my head when I was twelve. It is such an intense story and may be disturbing to some but the characterization is poignant and the writing is sparse but precise. What I love is that the author values common sense and expects the reader to do a little bit of thinking on her part, much like our lovely MWT. But the most amazing thing is that in the space of a few sentences, the most frightening woman I've ever encountered in literature suddenly becomes sympathetic. I've haven't been this invested in a character or a story in a long time. Well, actually I've never been so enthralled by a book. It certainly isn't a children's book but I recommend it to everyone, since I know the younger members here are very mature. I have read its sequel, A Coalition of Lions, and while it wasn't as good as The Winter Prince in my opinion, it is still a superb read.

On a lighter note, I've also begun to reread The Count of Monte Cristo, also a very good book. I only got a third of the way through before because while it is an excellent story, it isn't very "well written" and it is extremely long. And I say not well written, quote end quote, because it could seriously have used some editing. I know it was published in chapters so the author just made it as long as possible, and actually I love that. These days it's considered frivolous and just bad writing if it contains unnecessary details, but I happen to enjoy these old thousand page epics that don't introduce the plot for a few hundred pages. But the last time I borrowed my copy from the library and since I like to read slowly I just ran out of time and didn't pick it back up.

[styromgalleries.livejournal.com]

I'm reading them too! Admittedly all out of order and sporadically when I can find them at used bookstores, but I will work my way through all, I'm determined!

Miles is such an excellent character. ♥